Price, validity, rules

CACES refresher: retaking the tests before expiry

Enter the date you obtained your CACES: the tool gives the end date and the recommended date to book your refresher.

Independent site, not linked to the French Health Insurance (Assurance Maladie), the INRS, testing bodies or training centres.

CACES expiry

14 March 2027

in 139 days

Book the refresher by14 December 2026
Medical certificate ends20 November 2030
Authorisation to review14 March 2027

The CACES expires before the medical certificate: you must retake the test to keep the authorisation.

The refresher, which the recommendations call an update, means sitting the theory and practical tests again when the CACES reaches its end date, after a course that brings knowledge and skills up to date. There is no “renewed” CACES without tests: the holder sits exactly the same tests as the first time, with the same marking scheme, and gets a new CACES valid for 5 years, or 10 years under R482, from the new pass date. The course beforehand is shorter: as of 23 October 2026, the median refresher offer for R489 category 3 lasts 14 hours, against 21 hours for an initial course, and its median price is €641 against €784. Under R490, an operator who proves 50 days of crane work a year may only retake the theory after 5 years. A refresher is funded like an initial course, CPF included.

Until when is my CACES valid?

Expiry

2027

Valid for5 years
Refresherbefore the 2027 anniversary

Exact date: same day and month as when it was obtained.

Work out the exact date →

Questions, explanations and calculations by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method

Initial course and refresher compared

Mon Compte Formation offers on 23 October 2026; an offer counts as a refresher when its title says so.
CategoryInitial: median priceInitial: lengthRefresher: median priceRefresher: length
R489 cat. 3€78421 hours€64114 hours
R489 cat. 5€76521 hours€60014 hours
R485 cat. 2€49014 hours€45014 hours
R486 cat. B€94821 hours€78014 hours
R482 cat. A€1,56025 hours€1,33220 hours
R490€99021 hours€78014 hours

Preparing the refresher theory test

Experienced operators rarely fail the practical, more often the theory: questions cover rules not applied every day, such as reading a plate, chemical hazard pictograms or the role of prevention bodies. Taking a mock exam two weeks before the refresher shows which themes to review. The recommendations were also republished in 2026: the marking scheme is unchanged, but some syllabus points were reworded.

What does a CACES cost me with my CPF?

Left to pay

€150

Paid by the CPF€650
Of which flat contribution€150
CPF cap for a CACES€1,500
Compare prices by category and region →

Before booking, check that your medical certificate will still be valid on the test date: a refresher passed with an expired certificate gives a valid CACES, but the employer still cannot authorise you to operate until the occupational health service issues a new one.

Deadlines, medical certificate included, are worked out on the validity page. For the lorry loader crane and its extended validity, see the R490 CACES page.

Questions operators and candidates ask

Is the CACES refresher compulsory?

To keep relying on the CACES, yes: after the end date it no longer proves the operator’s training, and the employer must have the tests retaken or assess the employee another way before keeping the authorisation. The recommendations ask for knowledge to be updated and the tests retaken at least at every expiry.

Can I do the refresher after the end date?

Yes, but between the end date and passing the new tests, the operator has no valid CACES. Some providers then offer a longer course, closer to the initial one, if recent experience is lacking. It is better to book early enough: the tool suggests three months before expiry.

Must I retake every category at the refresher?

Only those you need. The theory test, shared across the recommendation, is sat once; one practical test is sat per category being renewed. A category that is not retaken simply expires on its end date, with no effect on the others.

How much does a CACES refresher cost?

As of 23 October 2026, the median refresher offer price is €641 for R489 category 3, €780 for R486 category B and €1,332 for R482 category A, in the Mon Compte Formation catalogue. The CPF can be used as for an initial course.

Keep going

CACES validity period

CACES end date, the recommended date to book a refresher and the medical certificate validity.

CACES price

Median price and range for each category, initial and refresher, by region, from the CPF catalogue.

Funding a CACES: CPF, OPCO

CPF, the €1,500 cap, the €150 contribution, employer, OPCO, France Travail: who pays what.

CACES mock exam

One hundred questions drawn with each recommendation’s official weighting, a one-hour timer, marked at 70 and by theme.

CACES R490: lorry loader crane

R490 mock test of 100 questions, slinging, load diagram, validity extended to 10 years and median price.

Official texts behind this page

Written by

Independent publisher of free CACES theory practice tests, with no account, written from the French Health Insurance recommendations

Rules and prices checked on · Editorial policy · Contact

CACES rules 2026, read in the French Health Insurance recommendations and the Labour Code, last checked on